Photo: Messenger
Rezaul Karim (not his real name) is undergoing treatment at Mugda Medical College Hospital after being shot by the police during the quota reform movement at Shonir Akhara last Friday. The bullet entered through one side of his stomach and exited through the other. The Daily Messenger correspondent talked to him in the surgery ward on Thursday.
Rezaul expressed his fear, saying, "We are very scared while lying in this hospital bed. On Wednesday, the police forcefully took our fingerprints and confiscated the voter ID cards of those whose fingers were injured." He added that the police collected fingerprints from 25 people who were shot. Rezaul expressed concern that the police might associate their names with any case filed against anonymous persons related to the quota movement. He also mentioned that a fellow patient, who a service holder and had been shot, left the hospital in fear due to these circumstances.
On Friday afternoon, it was observed that at least 25 people were injured and being treated in the surgery ward. The injuries varied, with some individuals shot in the stomach, back, or legs. Some sustained single bullet wounds, while others had multiple bullets. Among the injured were four individuals under the age of 15.
One of them, 13-year-old Kamal Hussain, works in a shop and was shot while returning from work on Friday afternoon. Another patient in the same ward, 17-year-old Shakil Hossain, was shot on Chittagong Road on July 19. He sustained two bullets, one in the upper abdomen and one in the lower abdomen. Relatives of Shakil at the hospital have complained that after stating his age as 17 years, the police extended it by an additional 3 years in their records. By increasing his age, the relatives suspect that the police might add Shakil's name to an unknown case.
Also in the ward is 12-year-old Tanveer, who was shot at Banasree Meradia and was seen writhing in pain. A woman relative of Shakil reported that the police took Shakil's fingerprints on Wednesday.
Md. Mujahidul, another young man admitted to the same ward, was shot. He is an employee at a private company. The bullet entered his body and exited in the Jatrabari Kajla area. He reported that when the police took his fingerprints, he repeatedly requested not to be harassed with a case. When asked for the statements of the two doctors on duty regarding this matter, they directed the Messenger Correspondent to speak with the hospital director. Later, when this correspondent went to the director's office, he was not available.
After further investigation, it was found that not only Mugda Hospital a similar situation is occurring at Mitford Hospital, Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, as well as specialized facilities like the National Cardiovascular Institute and the Institute of Neurosciences.
According to Dhaka Medical College Hospital Director Brigadier General Mohammad Asaduzzaman, a total of 1,200 patients were admitted to the hospital as of Wednesday. Of these, 60 people were brought in dead, 19 died while undergoing treatment, and the condition of 208 patients remains critical.
Reliable sources at Dhaka Medical College Hospital have reported that many gunshot victims are fleeing the hospital without receiving treatment due to fear of arrest. Five students have already left the hospital, and while their names are still listed in the hospital register, they are not present in the wards. Security has been tightened at the hospital, and relatives of the admitted patients are requesting that their names not be disclosed in the media or police. They fear being implicated in cases and want to return home safely after treatment.
Abdul Hannan, coordinator of the anti-discrimination student movement, expressed concern, stating, "We have learned that law enforcement is taking fingerprints from injured patients at various hospitals. We fear that the police might add these innocent individuals to a list of unknown suspects."
Campus and region wise student names in cases:
Cases involving the names of students from various campuses and regions are increasingly being filed. Recently, students have been implicated in five additional cases related to different aspects of the quota reform movement. The police have filed a case specifically naming 20 students from Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University in the capital. Another case has listed 15 students from Rajshahi University and their department as accused.
Additionally, two separate cases have been filed against unidentified students from Bangladesh University of Business and Technology (BUBT) at Rupnagar police station in the capital. These cases allege that the students beat and injured police officers and obstructed government work. Between 1,000 and 1,500 individuals, including unidentified students, are implicated in these cases.
A case has also been registered at Ashulia police station in Dhaka against unnamed students from Jahangirnagar University.
Beyond these five cases, 11 cases have been filed at Shahbagh police station in the capital between July 12 and 21, involving Dhaka University students. In 9 of these cases, the police are the plaintiffs, while 2 cases are filed by two BCL (Bangladesh Chhatra League) leaders. Unknown agitators are accused in these cases.
Messenger/Disha
